Right. Left. Right. Left. Hook!
We were in the church basement, practicing our punches with a North London boxing trainer. We were surrounded by painted nativity scenes, old sound systems, and random Sunday School craft supplies.
And we were surrounded by a vision.
It’s the vision of a city pastor who is committed to reaching the men of his community. The men who would never walk into a worship service, were too proud to utilize a food bank, and too “hard” to be seen seeking marriage advice from a pastor.
But they would come to a boxing gym. They would grunt, shout, sweat, swear, and throw weights around all day long. So this pastor has a vision to create a “Fight Club”… a place where there is no judgment, no vestments, no candles, but plenty of real men, with real problems, who are looking for an outlet.
Why not surround them with some free weights, boxing bags, ropes, and other men who might also be Christians?
Why not create a safe space for men to spend barbecue nights, fight nights, stogie nights, and whatever it is that helps them spend time with other men, men who can help them work out the challenges in their life?
It gets me excited just talking about it. The current basement is a blank canvas, used for storage and little else. It has plenty of room for a training ring, weights, meeting rooms, and hangouts for the men of the community. The vision is there, it’s now the resources that are needed. (If you’re interested in being involved, contact me)
But this brings up some points that need a little “footstomping” …
– Men need a new type of place to meet, one that can be masculine yet safe.
– Non-Christian men need something different than what the church has traditionally provided: something a little hard, something a little wild, something where they don’t feel so out of place.
– Men need a “cave”: a place to unload their crap, to challenge each other to live better lives, and to generally eat a little and shout a little.
So that’s what we did in that basement. We shouted. We made those walls ring with the shouts of men with a vision, men who were prepared to break some stones, break some ground, and break some strongholds.
Do me a favor: Find a vision you can shout about. Then go make it happen.